Hong Kong Protesters Call on Government to Protect Snowden

Protesters hold placards during a rally in support of Edward Snowden in Hong Kong. Photographer: Luke Casey/Bloomberg

June 15 (Bloomberg) -- Protesters marched to Hong Kong’s
government headquarters demanding their leaders protect Edward
Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who fled
to the city after exposing a U.S. surveillance program.

About 200 people, some carrying banners saying “Protect
Free Speech” and chanting slogans such as “NSA has no say,”
marched to the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong in the rain before
making their way to the government building. Protesters blew
whistles as a sign of solidarity with Snowden.

“We must not let anybody intervene, be it from Beijing or
be it from Washington, because we have the rule of law,” Albert
Ho, a legislator from Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, said to the
protesting crowd. “Mr. Snowden should be given the right under
our law to stay in Hong Kong.”

Snowden’s flight to Hong Kong after he exposed the NSA
program may pose a challenge to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
China, which took back sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain in
1997, could refuse his extradition if it’s related to defense or
foreign affairs.

Leung said today Hong Kong will handle Snowden’s case
according to the laws and procedures of the city “when the
relevant mechanism is activated,” according to a statement on
the government website. Hong Kong will “follow up on any
incidents related to the privacy or other rights of the
institutions or people in Hong Kong being violated.”

The city’s legislature may also debate cybersecurity after
Snowden told the South China Morning Post the U.S. had been
hacking Hong Kong and China since 2009.

Privacy Rights

“What he’s doing is basically sacrificing his freedom to
challenge such a powerful country,” said Eason Chung, the
student union president at the Chinese University of Hong Kong,
who took part in the protest. “He is telling the world your
privacy and human rights are being invaded by the U.S.”

The ultimate decision over Snowden’s fate may lie in
Beijing. In editorials yesterday, China’s government-controlled
media said the nation should seek more information from Snowden
and demand the U.S. explain itself over the surveillance program
he exposed.

“Hong Kong has no say whatsoever,” Legislative Council
member Ronny Tong said on Bloomberg Television yesterday.
“That’s why you see our chief executive not saying anything at
all. He is waiting for instructions from Beijing. I think
Beijing is sitting back, probably enjoying the moment, before
deciding what they want to do next.”

Rich Tradition

Protesters also demanded today that the U.S. government
doesn’t extradite the former Central Intelligence Agency
technical assistant.

“Snowden said he came to Hong Kong because it has a rich
tradition of political dissent and freedom of speech and we’re
going to demonstrate that,” said Tom Grundy, an activist who
jointly organized the protest. “We’re all whistleblowers
today.”

China is following developments in Snowden’s case, Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing in Beijing
yesterday. She declined to comment when asked how China would
respond to any U.S. extradition attempt.

“What cyberspace needs is not war or hegemony, not
irresponsible attacks, but regulation and cooperation,” Hua
said. She said China looks forward to more dialogue with the
U.S. on cybersecurity.

Counterintelligence and criminal investigators in the U.S.
are examining whether Snowden might have been recruited or
exploited by China. The U.S. is working on “a thorough scrub”
of Snowden’s possible ties to China, Representative Mike Rogers,
chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters in
Washington yesterday.